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enable the direct hardware access to the container [message #35847]

Tue, 28 April 2009 00:46

Balbuzard
Messages: 26
Registered: March 2009
Location: Australia

Junior Member

Hi,
I have read in the wiki-pages that the direct access to hardware is not available by default.
So is there a way to provides the direct access to the hardware nevertheless into the containers?
Thanks for your attention and your answers!

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Re: enable the direct hardware access to the container [message #36502 is a reply to message #35847]

Thu, 25 June 2009 17:50

vidhya
Messages: 6
Registered: June 2009
Location: United States

Junior Member

I'm curious to know how this is done too? How can the container be given direct access to the hardware? I'm assuming it read-only access. pls share your thoughts!

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Re: enable the direct hardware access to the container [message #36523 is a reply to message #36502]

Mon, 29 June 2009 06:59

maratrus
Messages: 1495
Registered: August 2007
Location: Moscow

Senior Member

What kind of hardware you have in mind?

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Re: enable the direct hardware access to the container [message #36544 is a reply to message #36523]

Tue, 30 June 2009 05:39

Balbuzard
Messages: 26
Registered: March 2009
Location: Australia

Junior Member

I have installed a heavy graphic application in the HN, and some non-graphic applications in VPS. But I would prefer the Graphic application to be installed in VPS instead of HN. In fact, I do not care if the graphic server or my graphic application crashes, as long as nothing else crashes with it. I need only the command line in the HN.
So, in a VPS, I have tried to install a graphic server, and a complete desktop, kde. This error has occured during the installation:

No userspace software suspend support in the kernel
The current kernel doesn't support userspace software suspend> Please recompile the kernel with the 'CONFIG_SOFTWARE_SUSPEND' option.

Once the installation finished, I have tried to stop the graphic server of the HN, then start it from inside this VE, but it does not recognize the hardware support.
I think I have to provide the direct access to the hardware, to the PCI-bus to reach the graphic card.
But I have read nothing to help me with that. I have read these discussions: http://forum.openvz.org/index.php?t=tree&th=7070&mid =34390&&rev=&reveal= and http://forum.openvz.org/index.php?t=rview&goto=35314#msg _35314
Thanks a lot for your help, any kind of trick/howto will be very welcomed!

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Re: enable the direct hardware access to the container [message #36564 is a reply to message #36544]

Wed, 01 July 2009 05:26

Balbuzard
Messages: 26
Registered: March 2009
Location: Australia

Junior Member

Hey,
I am still on this problem, here are some things I have tried:

I have tried to provide the VPS with the whole content of the /proc directory:

umount -l /vz/root/$VEiD/proc
mount -t proc proc /vz/root/$VEID/proc

and stopped the graphic server from the HN. Then, I entered this VPS and tried to start the graphic server by the startx command. The output returns:

Fatal server error:
xf860OpenConsole: Cannot open /dev/tty0 (no such file or directory) giving up.
xinit: Connection reset by peer (errno 104): unable to connect to X server
xinit: No such process (errno3): Server error.

So I have tried to provide the /dev/tty0 device with the command

vzctl set 301 --devnodes tty0:rw --save

but still the same error occurs, even after a restart of the VPS
I have no more ideas :-S
Thank you for your help!

[Updated on: Wed, 01 July 2009 05:28]

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Re: enable the direct hardware access to the container [message #36565 is a reply to message #36564]

Wed, 01 July 2009 07:07

maratrus
Messages: 1495
Registered: August 2007
Location: Moscow

Senior Member

Hello,

Quote:

I am still on this problem, here are some things I have tried:

please keep in mind that this is not an unstable but more that unstable workaround.

Quote:

So I have tried to provide the /dev/tty0 device with the command

Looks strange for me. Could you please remove tty* devices inside VE? And then invoke again

# vzctl set VEID --devnodes /dev/tty:rw
# vzctl set VEID --devnodes /dev/tty0:rw

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Re: enable the direct hardware access to the container [message #36577 is a reply to message #36565]

Thu, 02 July 2009 00:42

Balbuzard
Messages: 26
Registered: March 2009
Location: Australia

Junior Member

Hi, thanks for your answer;
I have removed /dev/tty and /dev/tty0 in my VPS; and then added them again using the commands

vzctl set $CTID --devnodes tty:rw --save
vzctl set $CTID --devnodes tty0:rw --save

The shel returns

setting devices
saved parameters for CT$CTID

Then, I have shut down the graphic server, and tried to start it up again from inside the VPS, the same error message is returned.
I have noticed that the rights of /dev/tty and /dev/tty0 are not the same in the HN and in the VPS, so I have set the rights in these devices of the VPS the same way they are in the HN, but still the same error message.
Does this configuration depend on the hardware on whom the openvz kernel is installed?
Thanks!

EDIT:
I have tried to move the devices tty0 and tty in the HN. Then, when I am trying to enter the VPS, vzctl returns;

Incorrect device name /dev/tty0: no such file or directory
Invalid value for DEVNODES=/tty0:rw, skipped

But the devices in VPS still appear! (And the same error again while trying to execute the command startx) Maybe it can help :-S

[Updated on: Thu, 02 July 2009 01:13]

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Re: enable the direct hardware access to the container [message #36578 is a reply to message #36577]

Thu, 02 July 2009 04:45

Balbuzard
Messages: 26
Registered: March 2009
Location: Australia

Junior Member

One other thing I don't understand, when you provided the whole content of /proc, is there any other daemon you have to install and run in the VPS?
I mean, the content of /proc is meant to provide communication to the Hardware, but is it enough to provide it to the VPS, or is there any link to provide to draw the liaison between the graphic server and the hardware?
Thanks for your answers!

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Re: enable the direct hardware access to the container [message #36675 is a reply to message #35847]

Wed, 08 July 2009 17:29

vidhya
Messages: 6
Registered: June 2009
Location: United States

Junior Member

I'm running linux 2.6.18 on the HN and FC-7.1 as a template for the VPS.

I am running a software in the container that basically gets the temperature of the disk, network and cpu from the /proc/diskstats folder from the HN. Now how do I allow the container access to get the real temperature of the HN?

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Re: enable the direct hardware access to the container [message #36896 is a reply to message #36577]

Tue, 28 July 2009 14:59

starfry
Messages: 24
Registered: March 2009
Location: Coulsdon, Surrey, UK

Junior Member

Hi Balbuzard, just seen your posting. I wanted to run my whole desktop in a VM so I could keep the HE as clean as possible.

I gave up.

I have since needed to run a heavy 32 bit 3D application on my 64 bit system. The way I achieved this was to use "schroot" to create a 32 bit container that is still part of the host, rather than a separate virtual machine. With proper configuration this accesses the hardware no problems at all.

Drop me a line if interested and I'll give you some pointers but it isn't an OpenVZ solution (sorry guys!).

I would still like to get a VPS with direct control over the graphics hardware to work, but I'm happy for now with how I have things.

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Re: enable the direct hardware access to the container [message #36908 is a reply to message #36896]

Wed, 29 July 2009 15:50

vidhya
Messages: 6
Registered: June 2009
Location: United States

Junior Member

Hi starfry,

Can you please explain how you made it work? I'm having a huge problem figuring out how i would populate the diskstats file in the proc directory in the VPS. I don't think mounting proc in the VPS is the right thing to do. Is there any way the container/VPS can discover its disk device, network ports etc, while it starts? If so, the diskstats file will autmatically generated by the device driver.

Please share some pointers on how you enabled hardware access to the VPS.

Thanks,
Vidhya

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Re: enable the direct hardware access to the container [message #36910 is a reply to message #36908]

Wed, 29 July 2009 17:23

starfry
Messages: 24
Registered: March 2009
Location: Coulsdon, Surrey, UK

Junior Member

Hi Vidhya,

I don't know if you noticed in my post I said that I had it working but not using OpenVZ. I use a chroot built with "debootsrap" and I use "schroot" to access the chroot - it allows non root access and it configures bind mounts automatically. You do need 1.2 version of schroot, however, which I back-ported using "prevu".

I did this because I wanted to run the X-Plane flight sim which only comes as a 32 bit app. Initially I tried building a VPS but failed due to the need for direct access to the host's graphics driver, so I went the chroot route and it worked fine for my needs.

If you are interested I have documented the process on the X-Plane forum here:

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?showtopic=34824&view =findpost&p=444528

I guess this is all a little off topic for OpenVZ though Embarassed

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